Air cleaner



March 17, 1936. A. R. BERNARD 2,034,323

AIR CLEANER Filed Oct. 15, 1934 Patented Mar. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES AIRCLEANER Auguste Louis Rene Bernard, Rueil-Malmaison,

France; Rene Bernard (nee Bournonville) executrix of said Auguste LouisRen Bernard,

deceased Application October 15, 1934, Serial No. 748,412 In BelgiumOctober 16, 1933 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to devices for the purifying of air fed toan internal combustion engine for permitting the combustion of fueltherein.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device of this kindwhich is simpler than those used up to the present time.

The essential feature of the present invention consists in the provisionof a filter or strainer carried by an organ rotated by the engine.

Ina preferred embodiment of the invention this organ consists of thefiy-wheel of the engine.

Preferably, according to the present invention, this filter is soarranged as to be located, at-least partly within the limits of thespace occupied by the fiy-wheel in projection in the direction of theaxis of said fiy-wheel, and in such manner that the air to be fed to theengine fiows through said filter in a direction substantially parallelto said axis.

Whereas this filter may be arranged laterally to the fly-wheel, or injuxtaposition therewith, yet it is preferable to have the filter occupy,with respect to the fiy-wheel, a position corresponding to that of theweb provided in a great number of fiy-wheels.

Of course, in this case, the peripheral portion of the fiy-wheel isconnected to the hub thereof not through a solid web but through armsbetween which are provided passages for the fiow of the air to be fed tothe engine through the filter.

Advantageously the filter is adapted to be removed toward the front, soas to facilitate the cleaning thereof.

Preferably, in order to obtain a purification as perfect as possible, Icombine with the filter a centrifugal purifier through which the air tobe fed to the engine fiows in a direction opposite to that of thecentrifugal force. This purifier is advantageously mounted in front ofthe filter and it may be carried by the rotary organ that carries thefilter.

When the engine includes a cooling system, such for instance as aradiator, through which air is sucked in by a centrifugal fan alsocarried by the ciated with the first one, being for instance carried bythe same rotary organ as the filter.

Anyway, the system constituted by the combination of both purifiers isso arranged that air flows along a sinuous path, first moving toward 5the axis of rotationibetween the fins or the like of the firstcentrifugal purifier), then vmoving away from this axis, then againtoward the axis (between the fins or the equivalent of the secondcentrifugal purifier) and finally toward the passages leading to thefilter.

If, when issuing from the simple or double centrifugal purifying deviceabove referred to, air (which is already freed from dust to aconsiderable degree) is moving toward the outer face of the fly-wheel, Ipreferably provide a partition or wall closing this external face of thefly-wheel and deflecting said air toward the central part of thefly-Wheel so as to cause it to flow through the filter which is disposedin this central part.

It will be readily understood that with such a system including threestages of purification, the most part of the impurities is stopped bythe first centrifugal purifier. The second purifier will stop and retainin its peripheral portion a great portion of the remaining impurities,which will be removed by cleaning this purifier at suitable intervals.Finally, the filter will stop the particles that shall have passedthrough the two purifiers and will complete a practically perfectremoval of dust from the air that is to be fed to the engine.

As the filter, with such an arrangement, will be called' upon merely tocomplete the purification, dirt will but very slowly accumulate thereonso that this filter, if cleaned at suitable intervals of time (which maybe relatively long), will never exert an exaggerate resistance to theflow of air as it is the case, after a very short time of working, withfilters through which the air to be fed to the engine passes directlyfrom the outside.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention, will be hereinafterdescribed, merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, and in which:

The only figure is a cross sectional view of the purifying deviceaccording to the present invention.

In this embodiment of the invention, the filter l is carried by afiy-wheel 2 having a rim which is relatively large in the radialdirection. 60 This rim is connected to the hub of the fiywheel througharms 6.

In this rim are provided, in the usual manner, the conduits ofcentrifugal fan 5, which is to suck in the cooling air that is to flowthrough vided with small blades for driving the cooling air. They areconnected, on the internal side of the 'fiy-wheel, with an annularorifice I of a chamber 8 itself connected with the air outlet of theradiator.

Fly wheel ,2 carries, ,on the side ofiits external face, the,centriiugalgpurifierj 3;" jpurifierfiis provided, in the usual manner,with passages, provided for instance between small blades, lea ingtoward the central part of the fiy-wh'e (for instance equal to aquarterofthe, radius of the fiy-wheel) and they srg mva in such manneras to open into the external face of the flywheel at their end which iscloser to the axis of rotation.

In order to facilitate the construction of the device, these passagesare obtained by securing to the peripheral portion of the external faceof the fly-wheel an annular plate 9 which constitutes one of the wallsof these passages and the inner edge of which limits, on the outside,the annular orifice ID of these passages toward the external face of thefly-wheel.

, The fly-wheel is further provided, along the inner edge of thisannular orifice III, with an annular deflector ll (preferably rigid withplate 9) adapted to deflect toward the periphery the stream of air thathas passed through purifier 3. Advantageously, between plate 9 anddeflector H, I provide small blades 12 adaptedto keep in rotation thestream of air that has passed through purifier 3.

I fix to the external face of the fly-wheel thus devised a kind of druml3, for instance of stamped sheet metal, having a peripheral portionwhich may be cylindrical and of a diameter equal to that of thefly-wheel. This peripheral part is connected to the external edge ofplate 9 and it carries a circular flange extending in front of theexternal face of the engine so as to deflect the air that has passedthrough the spaces between blades l2 againtoward the axis of rotationthrough annular passage l4 existing between said flange anddeflector II.

Within drum I3 and in the peripheral part thereof I provide blades l5adapted to'coact with blades l2 for keeping the air present in this drumin rotation.

This annular passage l4 which is formed by the deflector II and the drum[3 constitutes the second centrifuga purifier since the air is forced toflow through his .passage'from the periphery 'of the flywheel toward thecenter thereof.' Such dust particles which have not been removed fromthe air current by the first centrifugal purifier, which is formed bythe passage 3, are subjected to the centrifugal purifying eifectof thissecond rotating passage N.

If the device included only these elements, passage I4 would communicatedirectly with the space existing between the arms 6 of the flywheel, andit would sufiice to provide an annular partition l6 limiting, betweenthe frame I! of the engine and the internal edge I8 of the rim, achamber IQ for collecting the air to be fed to the engine, which issubsequently led to the engine proper through conduits 20.

But, in order to increase the purifying action of filter I, Iadvantageously position this filter in the circular space existinginside annular deflector ll. Owing to the relatively small radialdimensions of the passages of purifier 3, this circular space is ofrelatively large diameter, for

' pasty material, such as oil.

instance three quarters of the diameter of the fly-wheel.

The filter or strainer I is preferably given the form of an annularplate consisting of at least one thickness of a filtering material (forinstance a fabric) stretched by means of an external ring adapted. to beinsertedin asuitable housing pro- The stream of air that has flownthrough the two purifiers 3 and I4 arranged in series is thus compelledto flow through filter I in order to pen- Ihese passages are ofrelatively short lng'tlietrate into chamber Hi.

In order to permit of readily taking the device to pieces, I providemeans for permitting removal of drum l3 with a view to cleaning andremoving the filter.

In this .case, said drum I3 is provided with springs or equivalent means22 adapted to exert a certain pressure on the filter so as to maintainit in its housing when the drum is fixed in position on the flywheel.

The removable arrangement above referred to is advantageously obtainedby providing a hole in the central part of drum I3,and by applyingagainst the edges of said hole a milled nut 23 adapted to be screwed onan extension 24 of the engine shaft in such manner that when said nut istightened it exerts on drum l3 a pressure that applies the edges of saiddrum against those of the annular plate 9.

.As for the filter, it is provided with a central hole adapted to fit ona sleeve 25 leaving a passage for the extension 24 above referred to.

It will readily be understood that when drum I3 is removed it ispossible, by catching the end of sleeve 25, to remove-the filter with aview to cleaning it. y

Besides,'as above explained, it will not be necessary to perform thiscleaning operation very often.

On the contrary, drum l4, in the peripheral part of which dust isdeposited which has passed through purifier 3 should be cleaned morefrequently. I

' This dust will adhere'to this peripheral part against which it shallhave been thrown" by the centrifugal part. g

Besides, adhesion canbeimproved by coating this peripheral part ofthe'drumwlth a liquid or It should be noted that when drum I3 isremoved, if dust drops from said"drum, ,itcannot penetrate into theengine, owing to the presence of the filter.

In the case of the engine being provided with a crank for starting theengine, as shown at 26, it will be readily understood that this crankcan be fixed, on the outside of the device above described, to theextension 24 above referred to.

Of course, the filter, instead of being'of fiat shape, might be offrusto-conical orcorrugated shape, or it might be provided with pleats,either radial or concentric.

While I have, in the preceding description, disclosed what I deem to bea practical and efficient embodiment, it should be understood that I donot wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in thearrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing fromthe principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scopeof the appended claims.

What I claim is: g

1. In connection with an internal combustion engine having a fiy-wheel,a filter for the air to be fed to said engine carried by said fly-wheel,

and centrifugal purifying means mounted in series with said filter infront thereof.

2. In connection with an internal combustion engine having a fly-wheel,a filter for the air to be fed to said engine carried by said fly-wheeland at least one centrifugal purifying device carried by said fiy-wheeland connected in series with said filter, in front thereof.

3. In connection with an internal combustion engine having a fiy-wheel,a filter for the air to be fed to said engine carried by said fiy-wheeland two centrifugal purifying devices carried by said fiy-wheel inseries with each other and with said filter, in front thereof.

4. In connection with an internal combustion engine, the combination ofa fiy-wheel having a rim, a hub and arms connecting said rim with saidhub, a centrifugal purifier carried by said rim having passages theinlets of which are provided on the periphery of said rim and theoutlets of which open in a peripheral direction into the external faceof said fiy-wheel, a second purifier, also carried by said fiy-wheel,having passages leading toward the axis of said fiy-wheel along theexternal face thereof, and a filter mounted in said fly-wheel betweensaid rim and said hub, so that air fiowing out from said second purifieris caused to flow through said filter.

5. In connection with an internal. combustion engine, the combination ofa fiy-wheel having a rim, a hub, and arms connecting said rim with saidhub, an annular plate fixed to said rim in front of the peripherythereof, a curved flange carried by the external face of said rim sothat the peripheral portion of said rim, said plate and said fiange forman annular curved passage the inlet and the outlet of which are bothdirected toward the periphery of the fly-wheel, means in said passagefor exerting a centrifugal action on the air flowing therethrough, adrum connected to the outer edge of said annular plate, and-covering theexternal face of said fiy-wheel, so as to form a passage connected inseries with the first mentioned passage leading toward the center of thefiy-wheel, means in the last mentioned passage for exerting acentrifugal action on the air fiowing therethrough, and a. filterdirectly connected with said last mentioned passage and mounted in saidfiy-wheel between said rim and said hub, whereby air coming from saidsecond mentioned passage is forced to flow through said filter beforebeing allowed to flow out in thespaces provided between said armsbetween said rim and said hub,

6. A combination according to claim 5 in which said filter is removablymounted in said fiy-wheel, said drum being removably fixed on saidannular plate, so as to permit of removing and cleaning the filter.

AUGUSTE LOUIS RENE BERNARD.

